HoudiniEsq Document Management

Document Management

Artifact Production and Management

Introduction

Document management, often referred to as Document Management Systems (DMS), is the use of a computer system and software to store, manage and track electronic documents and electronic images of paper-based information captured through the use of a document scanner.

Use Case

Manage project, matter and contact artifacts of any nature; documents, contracts, notes, email, email attachments, images, audio,  video, and Custom Records. Robust User Access Controls and Rules keep private data private.

Artifacts containing textual information are full text indexed, searchable, classified, organized and sharable in milliseconds.

Generate collections of documents from one or more templates at a button press or autonomously.

Work from within Word, Outlook, Office365, WordPerfect, or Acrobat. Track, bill, and invoice for your time. Use the Client Portal to securely share artifacts with parties or co-counsel. You determine what is shared and for how long. Use workflow and document automation to create draft briefs, contracts, complaints, send letters, file memorandums, and more. Workflow reduces cost and user errors. No programing or scripting required to automate your workflow in HoudiniEsq’s DMS.  

Quick Start

Step 1 To view select a project or matter.

Step 2 Click the selected project/matter’s Docs tab

Step 3 Filter, Group, Search, upload, or Generate artifacts.

You can manage documents under Matters, Projects, and Contacts. Managing your artifacts such as documents, email, and email attachments is easy. Under any project, matter or contact record is a Docs tab. 

Use the “My Data Icon” to toggle the list to display records belonging to you. Otherwise, the list defaults to displaying all records you are privy to. You can group records by Type, Staff, or Date. Filter and search with search highlighting.

1. To generate a document from a template click Generate. 
2. To uploads one or more documents click upload.
3. To view or download a document double-click any item in the list. 

The image below depicts the Docs tab of the selected Matter Record.

Uploading Documents

Uploading Documents

Uploading files is easy. Click the Upload button above the list to open the Bulk Upload Panel.

Single File or Bulk Upload

1. Drag and drop any number of files into the yellow highlighted area of the form.

2. Classify the documents by selecting a document type.

3. Click Upload.

IMPORTANT OCR and Speech-to-Text support requires an Elite License.

Did you know

Clients or any party can securly upload documents as part of your organization’s Intake Process? For more details on Intake Forms see the Intake Forms Tutorial

Searching Documents

Local Search

You can perform documents searches from any project, matter, or contact record’s Docs Tab.

To access a record’s documents and files click the Docs Tab.

When you enter a search term the search is performed across all the record’s associated documents.

Records are grouped and sorted by Date, Staff, Client, and Type. You can perform Implicit, Boolean and Logical Nots, Wild-card, Near Word, Sound Like, and Fuzzy searches. The image below depicts a matter’s Docs Tab. 

Global Search

You can perform documents searches from the application’s Global Search panel.

The image below depicts the Global search panel. To access Global Search click the Global Search Field in the upper right-hand corner of the HoudiniEsq Desktop.

When you enter a search term the search is performed across all of your data.

Records are grouped and sorted by their parent record type. Contacts, Matter, Docs, Events, Email, Expenses, Records+, Invoices, Todos, and Notes.

The Docs tab of the Global Search Panel has a Advanced tab on the right hand side of the panel. You can perform Implicit, Boolean and Logical Nots, Wild-card, Near Word, Sound Like, and Fuzzy searches.

Viewing and Sharing Documents

Sharing and Receiving Documents

The Client Portal and Intake Forms support the ability to securely share and receive documents with clients and parties. You get to define what is visible and for how long. For more info see the Client Portal Tutorial or the Intake Forms Tutorial

Viewing Documents and Details

To view a document Double Click any record in the Doc’s Tab List. 

To view or edit document details click the Details Tab on the left-hand side of the document to review or edit its details. 

When done click the Save button or the (X) icon in the upper right-hand corner of the document to return to the list.

IMPORTANT Only PDF files are viewable in the interface. Word files are downloaded and opened in MS Office.

Documents can be uploaded, generated, grouped, filtered, searched, edited and viewed from any project, matter, or contact record. Including Word, Office365, Acrobat, and Outlook. For more information on the Free HoudiniEsq Plugins see the HoudiniEsq Downloads Page

Mobile Document Access

To view a document on your mobile phone use the public URL you use to log in remotely or via the cloud. The mobile interface will load automatically. Navigate to the project, matter or contact record. Tap the menu icon in the upper right-hand side of the App. Click the Docs icon to reveal the list. Double Click any record to view the file.

IMPORTANT Only PDF files are viewable in the interface. Word files are downloaded and opened in MS Office.

Mobile UI

Matter Form

Matter Menu

Document List

Document

Exhibiting Documents

In order to exhibit a document you must assign it an exhibit number. To do so open the document as explained above and open the Details Tab. Assign an Exhibit Number. To view the Exhibits list you can click the Exhibit Button in the Details Tab or you can click the Exhibits Icon on the project or matter form.

Set Exhibit Index Doc Details Tab

Viewing Exhibit List

Exhibits are managed from the Matter or Project’s Docs Tab.

Offline Document Access

Navigate to the project, matter or contact record and select the Docs Tab. Open the document by double-clicking an item in the Docs List. Click the Details Tab on the left-hand side of the document to review the documents QR Code button.

Secure Links

Quickly add collections of documents to your devices.

If you require access to documents but think that you may not have access to Cellular, Wifi, or the Internet, click the QR Code button at the bottom of the Document Details panel and point your camera at the code. This will open the document in your device’s browser. Keep the browser tabs ion or save locally on your device for easy secure offline access. 

IMPORTANT These secure links open documents outside HoudiniEsq. However, you will need to provide the IRIS password on your device when asked if you have not done so in the past.

On-premise users and licensees
In order to access files outside your local or wide area  network you must configure HoudiniEsq for Private Cloud Access. For more info on Private Cloud and Remote Access see the HoudiniEsq Private Cloud Tutorial

Android Pixel Phone Users
You must use the Lens App on your phone to read QR Codes.
This is a known bug with the Motorola ICs on the PIxel phone.

Did you know

You can securely share documents with co-counsel or any party with the Client Portal? For more details on the Client Portal see the Client Porta Tutorial

Generating Documents

Document Templates

In order to generate documents a document template is required. A document template is created in the OpenDocument format e.g ODT file extension. MS Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and WordPerfect support the OpenDocument format.

You can work with your documents from the programs you use everyday. HoudiniEsq supports creating and generating documents and templates from in MS Word, Office365, and WordPerfect.

Templates are created by including HoudiniEsq Data Merge Tokens into the document. The image below illustrates a document template being edited in MS Office.

Converting Document Templates

To create a template from an existing document simply save the existing document in MS Word as an ODT (OpenDocument) file. Insert HoudiniEsq Data Merge Field Tokens via MS Word or manually via the HoudiniEsq Data Merge Field Reference (as described below) into the document template in the appropriate places and upload the template into HoudiniEsq as described in Uploading Document Templates tutorial below.

Data Merge Fields Reference

The data merge field tokens can be accessed from within MS Word via the Free HoudiniEsq plugin for Word. You can also view data merge field tokens and drop them into 3rd party document editors such as WordPerfect, Office365, LibreOffice or OpenOffice.

To begin, click the Generate button to open the Document Template panel.

Click the Advanced button to expose the advanced options. Click the Field Token Reference button to reveal the Field Token options.

To lookup a Data Merge Field Token

1. Select the Table e.g. Matter, Contact, etc,.

2. Select the Record Type the Custom Field was assigned and optionally the Subtype. The List of Fields Dropdown field will populate with the friendly Field Name. Select the Field to reveal its Token Value which is displayed in the Field Token field.

Uploading Document Templates

The HoudiniEsq add-ons and plugins for Word, and WordPerfect can be used to save and upload templates in to HoudiniEsq.

You can also upload templates in HoudiniEsq directly by clicking Generate to open the Template Panel then click the Advanced to expose the Advanced options, then click the Manage Templates button to reveal the list of templates in the system.

To add a new template to the system manually, that is, not using the free Word or WordPerfect plugins click the Upload button to place the Document Templates form into Upload Mode.

The image below depicts the Document Templates Form in Upload Mode. To upload one or more document templates do the following.

1. Click the Add templates button to make your local file selections. 

2. Select a Document type from the dropdown field.

3. Click the Upload button.

Generating Documents

To generate one or more documents click the Generate button in the upper right-hand corner of the Docs Tab to open the Document Templates Panel.

Select the type of Template to list by selecting a type from the Template Type Dropdown field. Select one or more document templates.

Click the PDF or DOC button to generate the required documents.

Generated documents are listed under the Docs Tab of the open record and are full text indexed.

IMPORTANT The Document Templates panel does not close after generating documents. Instead, the panel stays open so you may continue to generate documents. When you are finished click the Done button to close the panel.

Did you know

Workflow can automatically generate and data merge documents when a user performs a task? For more details on HoudiniEsq Workflow Automation features see the Workflow Tutorial

Did you know

You can generate documents fom HoudiniEsq Records+ Custom Forms? For more details on Records+ and generating documents see the Records Plus Tutorial

Integration

HoudiniEsq Add-ons and Plugins

HoudiniEsq tightly integrates with Word, Office365, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, Outlook, Acrobat, and more.
All HoudiniEsq plugins are Free and can be downloaded from the
HoudiniEsq Downloads page

The image blow depicts Office365 and the HoudiniEsq add-on.

Add-ins

These add-ins/plugins tightly integrate with HoudiniEsq. Outlook • Word • Excel • WordPerfect • Acrobat • QuickBooks • Calendar Rules • SoftFile • Google Calendar and DOCS • Evernote • BIRT Reports • The US Post Office • Law Pay • and more

 

Best In-house Counsel Legal Software MS Outlook

Manage email, contacts, and your calendar from within Outlook and HoudiniEsq seamlessly and bidirectionally.

Supports
Email
Contacts
Calendar
Record and bill your time

Bi-directional sync your Calendar, Contacts, and Email. Bill for composing or reading an email. Link matter related correspondence to matters with a click or drag-n-drop to Matter folders right in Outlook. Mater related emails are organized in Matter folders in Outlook for you automatically. Emails and attachments are automatically full text indexed. Emails appear in the associated Matter’s email and docs tabs in HoudiniEsq.

Install
Step 1: Exit Outlook completely
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows

Uninstall
From the Windows control panel, add/remove programs, look for HoudiniESQForOutlook, click Remove.

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software MS Word

Open, edit and save documents in HoudiniEsq from within Word.

Supports
Data merges
Manage Templates
Generate documents
Full-text indexing
Record and bill your time

Install
Step 1: Exit Word completely
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows
Note For Mac OSX see our Office365 add-in

Uninstall
From the Windows control panel, add/remove programs, look for HoudiniESQForWord, click Remove.

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software AcrobatPro

Open, edit and save documents in HoudiniEsq from within Acrobat Pro. Track and bill for your time while working on PDF files effortlessly.

Install
Step 1: Exit Acrobat Pro completely
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows

Uninstall
From the Windows control panel, add/remove programs, look for HoudiniESQForAcrobat, click remove.

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software WordPerfect

Open, edit and save documents in HoudiniEsq from within WordPerfect.

Install
Step 1: Exit WordPerfect completely
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows

Uninstall
From the Windows control panel, add/remove programs, look for HoudiniESQForWordPerfect, click remove.

Note WordPerfect does not support the HoudiniEsq Open Document Format (ODT files).

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software Office365

Open, edit and save documents in HoudiniEsq from within Office365. Track and bill for your time while you work.

Supports
Matter data merge
Generate documents
Record and bill your time

Office365 Online Install
Download from the Microsoft Store

Note This plugin works with Office365 desktop on OSX and Windows as well as Office365 online.

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software MS Excel

Open, edit and save documents in HoudiniEsq from within Excel.

Install
Step 1: Exit Excel completely
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows

Uninstall
From the Windows control panel, add/remove programs, look for HoudiniESQForExcel, click remove.

 

HoudiniEsq In-house Counsel Software QuickBooks

This connector allows you to post to QuickBooks seamlessly from HoudiniEsq.

Supports
Client details, Invoices, Payments, Credits, Expenses, Trust deposits, Trust withdrawals, and Trust earned

No duplicate data entry and no importing or exporting to QuickBooks. If item descriptions or clients don’t exist in QuickBooks, HoudiniEsq will create them for you.

Install
Step 1: Exit QuickBooks
Step 2: Uninstalled the add-in if it exists
Step 3Download and run Installer for Windows

Note This add-in is for QuickBooks desktop and should be installed on the QuickBooks host machine.

Uninstall
From the QuickBooks’ host machine delete the HoudiniEsq QuickBooks connector.

Admin Tutorials

How do I add or edit record types?

Creating and managing record types is easy. To edit an existing type select it from the combo and hit enter. To add a new type enter the name and hit enter. 

How do I add fields to forms?

Creating and managing record types is easy. To edit an existing type select it from the combo and hit enter. To add a new type enter the name and hit enter. 

"Whether in the Cloud or In-house, HoudiniEsq is the most effective way to manage a law practice."

Jackie Bales CNBC

"A great innovation for the department. We handle over 100,000 cases annually. HoudiniEsq has made the department more effective and efficient. The department saves over $750,000 annually."

Phyllis Cheng Esq. DirectorDepartment of Fair Employment and Housing

HoudiniEsq Office 365

 HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In

Installation and User Guide for The HoudiniEsq Word Add-In for Office 365 (2019)

Overview

General Information and Table of Contents

In this article, we'll explain the Settings Dashboard in HoudiniEsq. The Settings Dashboard is a powerful tool that allows you to customize the way you use HoudiniEsq, and is where you can go to configure HoudiniEsq on a "macro" level, allowing for the configuration of organization-wide settings. You can think of it as a "Control Panel", allowing you to manage almost every aspect of the software. Keep in mind this menu is only available to Admin users, so you will have to be a member of the Admin staff group to access it.

 

Installing HoudiniEsq for Office365

Where To Access and Features

  • The HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In is available directly through the Microsoft Store and is free to download.
  • To access the Microsoft Store, open a new document in Word and then go to the Insert tab, then select Add-ins as shown below.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

  • Select the Store tab at the top of the Add-ins menu. Then, search for the HoudiniEsq add-in as shown below. Once you find the add-in, select it and click “Add”.

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

HoudiniESQ Add-in Setup 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

  • When you select the HoudiniEsq add-in from the Home menu, you will see the HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In home screen. Click Login to begin the setup process.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

  • You must specify your HoudiniEsq Cloud firm name (see example above), your username, and your password. Once finished, click the Login button. You will get a confirmation message if setup is successful.
  • Setup is required only once and you should never have to do it again. If you need to modify your login information you can do so in the “Settings” tab of the add-in.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Only HoudiniEsq Cloud is currently supported with the Microsoft Word 2019/365 version currently. If you are using HoudiniEsq On-Premise you will need to use the Windows-only add-in for 2010 and above. 

Getting Started

Getting Acquainted with the User Interface

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

The HoudiniEsq Office 365 Plugin has several tabs at the top:

  • Settings: This is where you can go to change your login information and cloud server settings as described in the HoudiniEsq Add-In Setup section we just mentioned.
  • Document: This tab will allow you will allow you to either Open or Upload a file.
  • Template: This tab allows you to either Open an existing HoudiniEsq document template, or Insert Fields from HoudiniEsq in order to create a new template.
    • Uploading templates is currently not supported by the Office 365 add-in, however any templates created with the Insert Field function can be uploaded manually through the web interface. For more information on how, consult this article.
  • Merge: This tab will allow you to merge Matter information from an existing HoudiniEsq document template into a finished document.
  • Timer: This tab will allow you to start and stop a timer in order to track your progress while working on documents using the add-in.

Opening Documents

How to Open Existing Files in HoudiniEsq

To open a file from HoudiniEsq, select the Document tab from HoudiniEsq menu and then select the Open option.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

Next, follow these steps:

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

 

  • Begin typing a matter reference in the Matter field. Once you stop typing, the system will return matters that match the searching criteria.
  • After you select a matter from the list, the file drop down list will be enabled allowing you to select a Document Type.
  • Once a Type has been specified, the File field will appear with a list of files for the selected matter. Select a file and click Open.

Note – you should only open Microsoft Word files. Other file types may or may not be supported.

 

 

Saving Documents

How to Save a Document to HoudiniEsq

To save a file to HoudiniEsq server, select the Document tab and then select the Save option from HoudiniEsq menu.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

You will then have a number of options:

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

  • File Name will allow you to specify the name for the file in HoudiniEsq. This field is required.
  • Check “Private File” checkbox if this file is private. This means that no other users will be able to access this file except you.
  • Matter field will be filled in automatically if the file is already linked to a matter in HoudiniEsq. Otherwise, please search for the matter that this file is related to.
  • Document Type dropdown is the list of document types available in your system. It will be automatically filled in if the document has a type associated with it. You can create document types in the Setting. The Document Subtype dropdown will automatically appear if the selected document type has subtypes defined.
  • You can add text in the Bates field to specify a Bates number if applicable.
  • The Memo field will allow you to add any additional information about the document you feel is relevant, such as revision notes or instructions for other users.
  • Check the “Billable Event” checkbox and select a task name and the time you spent if this is a billable event. The system will automatically create a time entry for you.
  • If you have Google Drive sync setup you can sync this document there as well using the checkbox.

Click Save to save the file. You will receive a confirmation if it is saved successfully.

Inserting Template Fields

How to Add Merge Fields from HoudiniEsq to Your Document

Note: You can find more information about document templates and how to manage them, including how to create them without the use of Microsoft Word, via this article: http://help.houdiniesq.com/knowledge-base/document-templates/

Templates allow you to insert ‘tokens’, or merge fields, into a Word document. A token is a placeholder for a particular value. Example ‘Client-first-name’. The Word document allows you to place these tokens into your document so that these values will automatically be placed in there.

Please note that currently, templates cannot be saved to HoudiniEsq using the Office 365 Add-In. You must save them in .ODT document format and then upload them to HoudiniEsq through the web interface. For more information on how to save a document template via HoudiniEsq, click here.

  • To create a template start with either a blank Word document or open an already existing template.
  • Click the Template section of the add-in, and select Insert Field to add tokens.
  • Select the Category of the field you want to add, such a Matter, Contact or Organization information. If Contact is selected you can also specify a Contact Relationship as well (such as Client, Attorney) to select that specific contact's information to merge.
  • Then, select the Field you wish to add from the list. This includes custom field data too.
  • Additionally, you can also add a Conditional Statement by selecting the field, checking “Conditional Statement” and then selecting your data comparator, and the result you are comparing.
  • When ready to add your field token to the document, click Insert Field.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

You can also Open an existing template by selecting Document from the menu, then selecting Open. Select the Type of template you wish to open as well as the name of the Template, and click "Open". This can allow you to view example templates as well as modify existing ones which have already been added to the system.

Generating Documents

Creating Documents from Pre-Existing Templates in HoudiniEsq

To generate a document for a particular matter using matter specific data from a template, select the "Merge" option from the HoudiniEsq Add-in menu.

 

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

 

  • Then, select the Type of document you wish to generate, along with the specific template.
  • Select the Matter you wish to generate the document for. This Matter will be used as a basis for all merge tokens in the template.
  • Once ready to create your document, click Generate Document. The document will open in a new tab if you are using Office 365 online, or a new window in Word 2019.
  • A copy of your document will also be added to the Docs list for the Matter in HoudiniEsq.

 

Timer

Utilizing the Built-In Timer to Track Work

HoudiniEsq Office 365 Add-In for HoudiniEsq Legal Practice Management

For your convenience, the HoudiniEsq Office 365 Word Add-In also includes a timer that can be used to track time spent working on documents, or anything else. Select "Timer" from the add-in menu, then click Start to begin the timer. This timer will continue to run even if you minimize Word 2019 or switch to a new tab in your browser while using Office 365. Once you are ready to stop the timer, click the Stop button. You can reset the timer by clicking the Reset button at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Beyond the basics but in byte size chunks of information.

Configuration

Installation and setup
 

Customization

Visualize your data intuitively

Developers

API and SDK